Economist Paul Krugman: Trump’s hurricane lies reflect his 'vision of America as hellscape'

Climate activists have been pointing to Hurricane Helene as a frightening example of the type of disaster that will become more common as climate change escalates. Helene has inflicted considerable hardship on the southeastern United States, resulting in more than 215 deaths, widespread flooding and millions of power outages — from Florida to Georgia to the Carolinas.

Although President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were quick to respond to the disaster, former President Donald Trump falsely claimed they were neglecting it and that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was unable to reach Biden — a claim that Kemp himself debunked, saying that Biden invited the conservative GOP governor to call him directly. Kemp added, "I appreciate that."

In a biting New York Times column published on October 3, liberal economist Paul Krugman emphasizes that Trump's bogus claims about Biden and Harris' response to Helene fit into a broader pattern of trying to convince voters that the Biden-era U.S. is a "hellscape" and that only he can restore normalcy.

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"In case you missed it," Krugman explains, "Trump has been trying to exploit the natural disaster for political gain, claiming he heard that the federal government — Biden — and North Carolina's Democratic governor, (Roy Cooper), are 'going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.' This claim has no basis: Major rescue and recovery operations are underway, and several governors of the affected states — including Republicans — have praised federal efforts."

Krugman argues that Trump's "vision of America-as-hellscape seems to be losing its political mojo," noting that according to a recent Cook Political Report poll of swing states, Harris is "tied on the issue of who can best deal with inflation and the cost of living, and barely trailing on who can best deal with crime and violence."

"Former FEMA officials expressed skepticism about Trump's visit to Valdosta, Ga., soon after the storm passed, not only because he used the visit to politicize a tragedy, but because such a visit 'does eat up resources on the ground,'" Krugman notes. "But the temptation for Trump to suggest that Biden was playing politics with his hurricane response must have been irresistible, because it so closely fits the template of many of his other claims. The key to Trump's tall tales is to tell his supporters that terrible things are happening somewhere out there, even if those things aren't happening to them or where they can see them."

Krugman continues, "He and JD Vance keep perpetuating claims that Haitians are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio; not many people have been there themselves to see that this isn't true."

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The Times columnist goes on to say, however, that it remains to be seen how much of an effect Trump's incessant "fear-mongering" will have on Election Day.

" Will it work? I have no idea," Krugman writes. "What I do know is that it's more of the same. Trump is promising to rescue us from dire threats that exist only in his mind.

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Paul Krugman's full op-ed for the New York Times is available at this link (subscription required).